I pull up at the clubhouse and wonder how I’m going to get in. I want to surprise Ranger, but I have no way of getting through their gate. Luckily for me, a woman opens it and drives through, so I quickly walk through it before it closes. She gets out of her car and quickly approaches me.
“And who the hell are you?” she asks, giving me a once-over. She’s pretty, with blond hair and green eyes.
“I’m Jo. I’m looking for Ranger,” I tell her. “Do you know if he’s in there?”
“The cop?” the woman asks, arching a brow. “I’m Anna.”
So this here is the woman in charge, then. Funny, because when I met Faye I assumed that she was the boss lady, but Ranger explained that Faye handed over the reins to a woman named Anna.
“Nice to meet you, Anna,” I say, lifting my chin. “I kind of wanted to surprise him, but if he’s not here or if I’m not welcome, I’ll just leave.”
I’ve never been here during the day before, and have met only a handful of the male members and Faye. Ranger has always said that I’m welcome here, but who knows. I am a police officer. It’s probably not appropriate that I’m here anyway, in fact, I know that it’s not, and if someone in the force wanted to give me hell over it they could.
“No, it’s fine,” she says, nodding toward the door. “Come on in. Everyone’s been dying to get a glimpse of the woman who nabbed Ranger.” She puts her hand up. “I guessed you would be a blonde.”
I smile and follow behind her.
“He’s probably in his room.”
“Thanks, Anna,” I say, heading straight to his room and opening the door without bothering to knock. I find him lying on his back, watching Supernatural. He sits up when he sees me, eyes widening in surprise.
“Jo?”
I lock his door, then practically jump on him.
His arms around me, he brings me against his chest and kisses my head. “Best fuckin’ surprise ever.”
I lift my head and look him dead in the eye. “Lie to me one more time and you will never see me again.”
He swallows hard and nods once. “I’m not going to do anything to fuck this up, all right?”
I manage to get out the word okay before he’s kissing me, rolling on top of me, and my wrists are pinned above my head. When he pulls back and says, “I didn’t even get to do my big gesture,” he has me curious.
“So I should have waited before coming over here?” I ask, bringing his lips back to mine. “What did I miss? I still want this so-called big gesture.”
“Right now?”
“Is it something that can be given to me in bed? Because I’m all about that,” I tease, kissing the stubble on his jawline.
“Oh, I’ll be giving you something in bed, all right,” he murmurs, kissing me again, then leaning over to his top drawer. What is he getting from there? Can it wait? I kind of want him to make love to me first, and I say as much. He tells me to wait one second and then he will take care of me. When he pulls out a velvet ring box, I still. Wait, that better not be a . . .
He opens it, exposing the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a pear-shaped diamond on a white gold band, and says, “Jo, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
This is his gesture? Proposing? Has he lost his ever loving mind?
I shake my head. “Ranger, no.”
And that’s how the next fight started—before we can even make up for the previous one.
? ? ?
“We don’t know each other well enough to get married, Ranger. What’s the rush? We’re both not going anywhere,” I say, disbelief pouring from my voice. “Do I want to marry you one day? Sure, maybe if we’re still happy and in love then, but to propose now? And as an apology gesture? Did you come up with this yourself?”
I’m kind of hoping he didn’t. I also realize I’m being a bit of a bitch right now, but I’m in shock. Who proposes to a woman after such a short time?
I cup his face in my hand. “I love you, but now isn’t the time.”
“If you want me, I don’t see what the big deal is!” he growls, jaw tight. “I want you, and I know that’s never going to change. I fuckin’ love you and want you by my side. You’re acting like it’s the craziest thing in the world when it’s not. We don’t have to get married this year, it can be next year. I’ve never even thought about marriage before, you know that? And now I plan this romantic proposal, which I ruin by doing it now instead, and you say no?”
“Ranger,” I say in a sweet voice, trying to butter him up a little bit. “I love you, and I love being with you, and I’m yours, and you are mine, but can we talk about the marriage thing a little bit later?”
His expression goes blank. “You rejected my marriage proposal. I don’t know how you expect me to react to this.”
“I’m not rejecting you, I’m just saying not right now,” I say, wincing. Shit, I don’t want to hurt him, but getting engaged is not what we need. I don’t see what the rush is.
“Jo, I don’t see why—”
I kiss him, wanting to shut him up. I don’t know what I expected from him but a marriage proposal isn’t it, and although it is the biggest of gestures, it’s not the one we need. I distract him with my mouth, with my hands, with the seductive gaze that trails all over his skin. I go down on him until he comes in my mouth, and then he does the same to me. We make love, looking into each other’s eyes. We tell each other we love each other, and although we still have shit to work out, all of a sudden, everything is right in the world.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Ranger
EYES darting between Jo’s naked body and the door, I want to ignore the knocking, but whoever it is probably won’t stop until I answer it. I cover Jo’s sleeping form with my blanket, then open the door just a little bit.
“Hey,” I say when I see Talon standing there.
He grins, flashing his teeth. “You going to stay in your room all day and night or are you going to come out and socialize a little? You gotta feed your woman more than just your d—”
“She’s asleep,” I say, cutting off his charming comment. “When she wakes up I’ll bring her out to eat.”
“Okay,” he says cheerfully, then walks away. I close and relock the door and climb back into bed. The open ring box still sits on my side table, taunting me. I can’t believe she said no. She’s so stubborn. Isn’t that what most women want, the ultimate commitment? Fuck, I sound like a little bitch. This hellion in my bed right now is definitely giving me a run for my money. Women are so hard to figure out sometimes. I’m glad she came over here though—I thought she was going to stay mad at me forever. I wonder if she spoke to Elizabeth and that’s what brought her here. Either way, I’m thankful.
She’s in my bed, where she belongs, and even though the ring is on the table and not on her finger, she’s still mine. I haven’t lost her, and she’s forgiven me for lying about fucking her cousin. Yeah, that sentence doesn’t exactly paint me in a good light. I wonder if she’s one of those women who will keep throwing shit in my face, even after she says she’s forgiven me. Like months from now is she going to bring it up every time we fight?